He stared at me. I stared at him.

“People who think the system is out to get them are just misinformed.”

The man who said this had been appointed by the Governor in my state. He was a politician and a high-ranking one at that. But this statement stuck me as misleading, perhaps purposely so. And my body language showed that I thought so.

Anyone who’s been racially profiled, arrested so that the police could search your car and then eventually let go after a humiliating experience, or arrested at the whim of a police officer and then charged with a crime so that officer can cover his or her tracks in their police report, will indeed tell you, at times, the system does feel like it’s out to get you. Meaning the power structure in this country: your neighborhood cops, local judges, your local DMV, your boss. Maybe that’s an inarticulate way to put it. But there’s certainly an argument that that feeling is warranted.

I return to this argument as I see the controversy unfold over Sherri Goforth’s incredibly racist email about President Barack Obama. Goforth, an aide to GOP Tennessee state senator Diane Black (you can’t make this stuff up) sent this email to a group of colleagues. The email shows photographs of all presidents and then a dark space with two eyes for the current President. Cute.

Now realize Sonya Sotomayor, a Latina who has been a federal court judge for many years, who was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Obama, has already been called a racist because she believes in diversity. Many are calling for her withdrawl before this confirmation process has began.

Sen. Black’s response? A strongly worded reprimand of said aide. She wasn’t terminated or demoted. A letter was put in her file. Right.

I return to the original statement. “The system is not out to get you,” the politican said. Ok. Maybe true enough. But imagine losing your job as a single mother because you can’t find a cheap enough babysitter to watch your child. Imagine losing you’re job because you don’t have the money to pay your rent, car insurance and registration, and you need your vehicle for your job duties. Then imagine, a co-worker keeping his or her job, in a workforce filled with people of different ethnicities, despite creating a hostile workplace with the revelation they sent a racist emails. At the very least, it would create a very awkward situation for people of color in this workplace. And the boss keeps this person. But you? You hit bricks.

I would argue anyone who dismisses concerns about the imbalance of social constructs, either is doing so out of ignorance or trying to justify their own indifference.

And I don’t need a politician to tell me that.